Preview Montrose

Pitch Inspection

Admission Prices: Adults £13, Concessions £7.

After years of seemingly being drawn against the same teams in the Scottish Cup, for example last season`s match was the 21st against Celtic, Dunfermline find themselves with a fascinating fourth round tie away to Montrose on Saturday 8th January.

The Pars tie against the Third Division side is only the second time that they have been drawn together in the Scottish Cup and the last time was more than fifty years ago. Indeed the only other Scottish Cup match against Montrose was played at Links Park on 14th February 1959 when an Alex Smith goal was the difference between the teams in a hard fought encounter. Dunfermline went on to reach the quarter finals that season where they went out to eventual Cup winners, St Mirren. The attendance was a pretty good 1,899, something that we wouldn`t expect to be surpassed this time!

However it is reasonable to expect a good following of fans to Montrose with this change from the routine of league football.  Trains to Montrose on Saturday at 11.03 and 12.03 from Dunfermline to Montrose, changing at Inverkeithing and Dundee cost £21.70 return.

Montrose are not a side that Dunfermline have played much in any competition.  Just thirty league matches in total over the years, resulting in 17 wins for the Pars, 4 for Montrose and 9 draws. The teams have never met in the recently introduced Scottish Challenge Cup and have had just three meetings in the League Cup all of which were won by Dunfermline.  It was this competition that provided the most recent match, again at Links Park, when one Jim Leishman was Montrose manager.  On the glorious 12th 1992 Dunfermline won by a whopping 6-0.

Montrose may have been one of the lowest placed league clubs in recent seasons but there are undoubtedly signs of a revival under new manager Steven Tweed and his Assistant, former Par Ray Farningham.  They enjoyed a good 3-1 win over Whitehill Welfare in the last round and will no doubt be relishing the opportunity to take a First Division scalp.

Montrose have only lost one Scottish Cup tie at home in the last nine seasons - the 2-1 defeat to Queen of the South in 2004-05. They are are currently seventh in Division Three with 13 points from 15 games and have managed only two league wins in front of their home support all season against Arbroath and Clyde.  The Pars have been to Hampden three times in the last seven seasons.

Montrose have not won a league game since 2nd October but they have won two Scottish Cup ties in the interim against Arbroath and Whitehill Welfare.  Their top goalscorer with nine goals is 37 year old Paul Tosh but he hasn`t hit the net since October.  Not that that will mean much since Gregory Tade hadn`t hit the net since September until 2nd January.

Dunfermline have lost two of their last three away games and haven`t won on the road since defeating Partick Thistle in September.

Last Time Out

DUNFERMLINE (v Raith Rovers): Chris Smith; Calum Woods, Andy Dowie, Alex Keddie, Austin McCann (c); Paul Willis (Joe Cardle 74), Nick Phinn, Gary Mason, David Graham;  Pat Clarke (Andy Kirk 67), Steven McDougall.
SUBS NOT USED: Neil McGregor, Ryan Thomson, Kyle Allison (GK)

MONTROSE (v Arbroath): Sandy Wood; Chris Hegarty, Gordon Pope, Alan Campbell, Shaun Crighton, Terry Masson (Hugh Davidson 60), Ross McCord, Stephen McNally, Nicky Smith (Aaron Sinclair 60), Martin Boyle (Paul Tosh 60), Dougie Cameron
SUBS NOT USED: Connor Thomson, Jamie Robbie

Referee will be Crawford Allan.